The Author

I 'm a 30 year old mom of two kids and married to a wonderful man.Living in a different country is hard for me,made merealize what i was missing from the smell of the bbq on the street to the shouts and laughter of the kids and teenagers playing tag in the moonlit night. The sweet noise of my mum calling or be it shouting my name.

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Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Watch out Michael Phelps you have competition swimming up your way. This is our princess bruiser not even two years old and here she is putting her head under water while swimming. And she does all this thing underwater and still look graceful and effortless. Our neighbor still can't believe that she is doing this and that she is a daredevil when it comes to swimming in our pool. Of course she is still in her life vest but she jumps and swims around without any fear. She even tries to use the goggles, snorkel and mask that we have so she can do whatever we do. I can't wait to see what she will be like next summer. Hopefully before she turns 3 we can teach her how to swim without the live vest. However I would still prefer that she has a life vest on her just in case, lol..

Monday, August 24, 2009

Among the highlights of our trip to Sesame Place was getting Kayla's face painted. We had to finish off with the water attractions before we get this done for her. There was a lot to choose from but of course being Kayla and her love for animals she chose to be the Tiger Girl. I tried convincing her to get the fairy and flower face painting with little glitters but she refused. I just wanted her to pick something really girlie this time, lol. Once she saw the Tiger design she could not be swayed no matter what we said. She looks pretty cute after after it was done, she even made the a tiger pose but I didn't get a picture of it. If Kaitlyn would have sit still in that chair she would have had the fairy and flower design,lol...

Monday, August 17, 2009

Summer is almost over and I am just know posting the pictures and the adventures we've had. This year, we didn't plan any major vacation for our family. Instead the main highlight of our kids summer adventure was a trip to Sesame Place in Philadelphia. Here are some of the photos we took while we were there :

I was quiet disappointed with Sesame Place. The kids had a good time but they didn't have a blast. It wasn't what Ralph and I thought It was going to be. I guess coz there were a lot of kids there and the rides just took forever and it was disorganized in my opinion. When we got to the big water park I forgot to take a picture the water was surprisingly salty and I just wasn't right for me, you would think you were at the beach with the salt water pouring all over you. It was just plain right disgusting for me. Kayla on the other hand just went to the slides and any other water activities she could see. The only place where they really had a lot of fun was the lazy river. Both girls didn't even bother to get on the tires but just wanted to swim in the freezing water, yes the water was very very cold! We we had known we would have just stayed home and swim in the pool. And the food there was so expensive, my gosh for a bottled water it was $2.47 and a kiddie meal was $8.99. I was so surprised with how expensive it was, we should have brought our own luck and put in a cooler in our van. At least the kids got giddy and so excited when they saw the Sesame characters specially Elmo and Zoey. As far as Ralph and I are concerned we are not going back to Sesame Place any time soon. Next year we would rather go back to Dutch Wonderland where is cheaper and they had more rides and fun water parks for the kids.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Last May our television finally made its last curtain and showed its last show. We could not believe it, we just had that television fixed not 8 months ago. In times like this Ralph would usually just when we took one step forward things happen that drags us two steps back. It useless to pay another $450 to have it fixed only to have it break down on us again less than a year later. Watching television is one of the few things both my husband and I enjoy together, it also helps educate and entertains our kids with songs, values and educational shows. When we finally got our new television and surround system we hit yet another bump. It was a mind boggling for Ralph when it was time to set it all up. Did you know that hooking up a new television and an entertainment center can be so difficult. We ended up paying a professional to set up the whole thing and it was money well spent. If we had not hired a professional we would have ended up with three remote controls. One for the television, the surround sound and the DVD. We finally ended up with just two remote, one for the television/cable and the other one for the entertainment center and the surround sound. Had we known that Yamaha neoHD had existed we would have saved all the hassle. To have just one remote to use on everything would be a blessing. Just one remote can really save us time, its hassle free and the convenience it affords. I definitely not to late, we could still get our hands on our own Yamaha newHd by joining the Yamaha neoHD Sweepstakes . Joining is as easy as tweeting about it at tweeter or enter via blog.iazea.com. Now that is something that I would really love to win. How about you?would you love to get one for your family?

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

The matriarch of the Schifano Family, Caroline flanked by her three sons. From (L-R) Ralph my husband who is the youngest among the brother. His brothers fondly teases him about being the runt in the family. He is one of the hardest working man I have ever met. Larry is the second child. He was the brother that got a lot if injuries as a young boy. He may look scary but once you get to know him he actual has a good heart and will help any way he can. The last but not the least is Angelo the oldest of the brothers. He has the biggest heart and would just about do anything for anyone, the officially chef in the family. Lets not forget the matriarch my MIL, she is a great woman with a lot of courage, patience and love to give around. The three brothers are so different but all with good hearts. I caught the best guy and that is my husband, my honey...

Yesterday was the hottest so far this Summer season. At first I didn't think it was going to get that hot but as soon as I would step out on our back deck I would get hit by a wave of hot humid air. It was just so hot that you could feel perspiration popping out on my forehead and back. Our two puppies who normally love staying outside in our backyard could not take the heat even under the shade of the trees. It was totally a good investment on our part that we got our swimming pool. The pool was the perfect way to cool off from the summer heat and the water was so refreshing. In a few more weeks Summer will be leaving us and Fall/Autumn will pave the way for winter.

For those who have yet to go on a vacation you still have time. A great place to go for a family vacation would be at Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing. The perfect place where a husband, a wife, kids and pets can all have a smashing good time. A place so perfectly located that Entertainment and Attraction is just a few miles away from the hotel. They also boast Summer Events for the whole family :

National Kid's fest

Annual Downtown Clown Around

Colgate Country Showdown,

Father's Day Salute

Parrot Head Party

and many more

As for Corporations, Company and Businessmen they also have a place for you at the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel where business and pleasure go together. Big function rooms for meetings and convention, a place where fitness and recreation under one umbrella and 18 holes of Championship Golf. Now, that is just the perfect vacation for business and pleasure.

Picture was taken last July 18, 2009 on my 31st birthday party. From (l-R) Kristen, Andrew, Lauren, AJ, Kayla Nicholas and of course the youngest Kaitlyn on her Mima's lap. This was such an impromptu picture taking for the whole family since we just realized that we were all there. The kids wearing black shirts are Angelo's kids and Kristen and Nicholas are Larry's kids and the two youngest are my kids. Looking at this photo just make me miss my maternal grandparents even more. How I wish a time would come that we would be gather all together for a family picture as well. I still have more pictures and stories to come from my birthday.

Monday, August 10, 2009

"This post was sponsored by Kmart. All the opinions are mine."This years summer has been fun, and filled with lots of sun and swimming. It helps to stay cool under the blazing heat of the sun by the pool. The kids get water logged but they don't mind one bit as long as they could swim at there hearts content. Just yesterday Kayla started getting in the pool without her life vest on. She has been swimming, jumping and showing us her tricks. Of course the little does not want to be outdone. She follows her sisters every move and will try and try until she gets it. What my husband and I love about summer is that we get to spend a lot of time with our kids and just do stuff as a whole family. Both my husband and I are home buddies and we like staying at the house in our backyard be it swimming, playing with the kids or just a simple barbecue. And with those activities it calls for a place for us to settle down for the day and just watch lightning bugs on our deck. This years summer we have been having our share of thunderstorms. One storm even broke the glass table in our deck. We had no table whatsoever and it didn't help that we had broken glasses all over. We searched for another patio table for our deck but they were all expensive. We ended up buying our new patio table at Kmart. And speaking of Kmart did you know that they are having another of their famous Kmart Bluelight specials. Where you get 70% off on there patio furniture and saved us a lot of money. They also have great choices of men basketball athletic shorts and for women that love jewelry, another 10% off is slashed from diamonds that is already 70% off! To get the latest news on great deals joinKmart on Twitter and get the smart with Kmart.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

This has been long overdue, the picture from my 31 st birthday celebration last July 18, 2009. My actual birthday was July 15 but we decided to have a family party on a Saturday so that the Schifano family could come. Two of my Filipina friends could not come but I was not disappointed at all since the Schifano clan came in full force. It turned out to be like a family reunion and it made my MIL so happy. I was grateful for my kids, husband and my new family here.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Wouldn't you know it? In a few more weeks school is going to start again and that means back to our old routine of sleeping early and waking up early as well. We are going to have to make the kids fit back into the routine of things. They have to, I am the captain of our ship and I want a man a tight ship. Its going to be pretty interesting this year since Kayla will actually be on the first grade! It still amazes me how time flies, it felt like it was just yesterday that she was just starting Pre K and now she is a first grader.

For my SIL its going to be bittersweet for her. Her oldest son is about to leave the nest and fly off to college. I know she must be feeling sad and happy at the same time. I hope that Steven has everything he needs to be CampusReady for college. Its not an easy feat to just up and fly the coop to start a new life in college. Knowing my SIL Teresa she probably has everything planned out for her son if not, then Sears is there to the rescue. With Sears Campus Ready you get help picking everything from financial planning tips, apparel must haves, and most of all shopping checklist. Its simply exhilarating how sears have found a way to make college life to an easy transition. My SIL is in Mexico at the moment enjoying her vacation but it help so know that she can always check outCampusReady on Facebook and see for herself.

Monday, August 3, 2009

I came across this video while doing my usual drops. Its from the show "so you think you can dance?" And let me just say, the couple on this video did prove they hell yeah, they can sure dance up a storm. Well,more like a zombie performance but of the good kind,lol. The dance move was choreographed well and it was executed flawlessly and they did justice to the song as well as the choreography. This is going to be a favorite of mine. Just take a look of the video and see for yourself...

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Summer is already in full swing and that means vacation, vacation, joy rides and many more. I'm from a tropical country and I just love the summer heat and the warm air. In my family I am the exception when it comes to staying cool in the summer, my kids take after their father. They are just like flowers that wilt when it stay under the sun to long or when its too hot. July 22 we went on a ride to Philadelphia to have some summer fun at sesame place. The ride was about an hour long and let me just say that I am thankful for auto air conditioning. My kids were comfortable inside the car while it was muggy and scorching hot outside. I can only imagine if we didn't have any air condition in our car. This summer, make sure that your auto A/C compressor is in tip top shape. If your having problem with your air condition in your car there is only one cool place to check out 1airconditioning, the only place where you get the best of all ac parts, free shipping on all parts, phone and online support and most of all warranty on all parts. Lets stay cool in this summer heat of fun and check them out..

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